gailyadv.adj.
/ˈɡeɪli/, U.S. /ˈɡeɪli/ 1.
a. With reference to bearing or manner: cheerfully, joyously, festively; airily, jauntily.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > merriment > [adverb]
merryOE
feastlya1325
gailya1375
gay?a1400
festivally?c1400
merrilyc1400
jocundly1471
mirthfully1508
jolly1615
chirpingly1650
jollily1670
jovially1704
festively1793
gleeishly1828
gleesomely1850
gleefully1862
hilariously1863
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 1625 (MED) Alle þe genge of grece was gayli resseyued.
c1440 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Thornton) l. 27 (MED) Thus alle in gleterande golde gayely scho glydis The gates, with sir Gawane, by a grene welle.
c1530 A. Barclay Egloges ii. sig. L v Many folys thynke it nothynge so Whyle they se courters outwarde so gayly go.
1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 87 Ye kirk moued be knauledge and experience of theis fruicts vses gaylie to sing.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 21 The event I treated gaily came seriously to my door.
1778 F. Burney Let. 21 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 85 At Tea we all met again, and Dr. Johnson was gaily sociable.
1853 W. M. Thackeray Eng. Humourists ii. 97 Addison wrote his papers as gaily as if he was going out for a holiday.
1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 63 And the grouse-cock gaily crowing Fears not either dog or gun.
1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. p. xviii (advt.) Funerealities—A grave subject treated gaily.
1993 F. Collymore RSVP to Mrs Bush-Hall 132 Chirping gaily and sipping her rum-and-ginger, she melted into the crowd.
b. With reference to behaviour or action: unconcernedly; indifferently with regard to the feelings or well-being of others or (occasionally) oneself.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > indifference > [adverb]
indifferently1574
perfunctorily1581
perfunctoriously1609
unconcernedly1636
disaffectedly1646
inconcernedly1695
gaily1810
nonchalantly1836
off-handed1840
uncovetingly1862
uncaringly1868
insouciantly1880
uninterestedly1891
disinterestedly1941
1810 J. Porter Sc. Chiefs I. x. 227 While vain prayers for mercy, and unanswered cries for redress, echoed dolefully through the vale of Bothwell, they sped gaily on, as if murder were pastime and rapine honour.
1896 Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Sept. 10/3 Queensland boasts altogether 4719 miles of rabbit fence, inside which the rabbits are gaily breeding in millions.
1906 L. C. Cornford Defenceless Islands 82 The Sumter had been gaily commerce-destroying for more than four months.
1969 N. Coward Diary 27 July (2000) 678 I told the Queen how moved I had been by Prince Charles's Investiture, and she gaily shattered my sentimental illusions by saying that they were both struggling not to giggle!
2006 A. Beaujon Body Piercing saved my Life i. 1 He was gaily swigging from a milk jug full of vodka and water in defiance of the festival's no-alcohol policy.
c. With reference to a dog's tail: in a high or erect position. Cf. gay adj. 3f.
ΚΠ
1885 C. Cook Dandie Dinmont Terrier iii. 86 When not excited it [sc. the tail] is carried gaily, and a little above the level of the body.
1941 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Amer. 14 Sept. 4 d/5 The tail..is not docked, and is set high, being fairly short, quite thick at the base, tapering, and carried gaily.
1971 F. Hamilton World Encycl. Dogs 353 The tail is set moderately high, carried gaily, but not turned forward over the back.
1998 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (Nexis) 21 Feb. (Life section) f1 The nine Scotties pranced in, their tails held ‘gaily’ upright.
2. With reference to dress, decoration, etc.: brightly, showily, smartly, splendidly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > splendour > [adverb] > with fine or gay appearance
gailya1375
freshlyc1390
gayc1400
gallantly1552
bravely1570
gaudily1611
cavalierly1670
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 263 (MED) Goþ yond to a gret lord þat gayly is tyred.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 598 A sadel Þat glemed ful gayly with mony gold frenges.
c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 912 His gloues gaylyche gilte and grauene at þe hemmez.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (BL Add. 9066) (1879) 388 This man had..a sone and a doughter, and noryshed hem wele, and arayed hem Gayle.
1587 A. Fraunce tr. T. Watson Lament. Amyntas D2v Cheerful Charities with goldlocks gaily bedecked, Daunced along by the fields in due and gratius order.
1646 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple 98 Brother of Feare! more gaily clad The merrier Foole o' th' two, yet quite as mad.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 29 Like some fair Flow'r that..gaily Blooms, but ev'n in blooming Dies.
1748 T. Gray Ode in R. Dodsley Coll. Poems II. 266 Some shew their gayly-gilded trim Quick-glancing to the sun.
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 629 The shapely knoll, That, softly swell'd and gaily dress'd, appears A flow'ry island.
1833 Penny Cycl. I. 447/2 Gaily-marked flowers called Alstromerias.
1854 N. Wiseman Fabiola ii. xxiv. 284 A gaily-painted quiver, full of arrows.
1876 C. G. Finney Mem. ix. 115 A young woman..who had two or three tall plumes in her bonnet, and was rather gayly dressed.
1931 A. M. Lindbergh Let. 17 Sept. in Hour of Gold (1973) 191 Geisha girls, very gaily dressed (trailing kimono and stiff headdress)..entertain the company.
1999 K. Hickman Daughters of Britannia (2000) i. 24 A small tent of gaily striped silk.
3. Originally: †very, greatly; excellently (frequently as an intensifier preceding well) (obsolete). Later (chiefly regional): fairly; pretty; tolerably; (also as adj.) well, in good health or spirits. Cf. gey adv., geylies adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > moderateness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > fairly
reasonably1389
reasonablyc1447
seemlyc1460
reasonable1485
gaily1532
indifferently?c1550
pretty well1576
indifferent1583
tolerably1602
tolerable1673
middling1719
geylies1754
middlingly1755
fairly1805
fairish1818
wellish1830
serviceably1896
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere iii. p. cclxxviii Tyndale hathe not yet so gayly answered yt as to make me ashamed to laye yt forth agayne.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 116 b For this purpose..they woulde haue serued gayly well.
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius f. 389v But these Fathers now..thinke, they have besturred themselves gayly, if they foresee, not that the canker may be throughly cured,..but that it be suppressed aloft.
1616 R. Eburne Royal Law 55 They thinke they haue gaily salued this sore, when they haue said; The Law is so.
1665 T. White Exclusion of Scepticks Pref. to Rdr. By these Arts they heap on themselves the honours and fruits due to Science; they flourish gayly and are propos'd to be ador'd in the Chairs.
1692 ‘J. Curate’ Sc. Presbyterian Eloquence 114 It's true, good Lord, you have done gelly well for Scotland now at last.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 400 How dee yee..Bra'ly, finely, Geily at least.
a1774 R. Fergusson Poems (1785) 159 I trow their skins are gayly yarkit.
1787 A. Shirrefs Jamie & Bess iv. ii It lang was fair, afore he thought o' ga'en, And gayly on to evening now was drawn.
1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 93 Tom is gaylie weel.
1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 51/2 He..always replied that he was going on ‘gaily’.
1840 T. De Quincey Style: No. II in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 398/1 It's gaily nigh like, to four mile like.
1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 69 Gayly, in good health. ‘We're all gayly.’
1880 W. H. Patterson Gloss. Words Antrim & Down (at cited word) ‘How are you?’ ‘Gyly.’
1926 Dial. Notes 5 400 My chaps [sc. children] is all right peart an' gaily now.
1978 Jrnl. Lakeland Dial. Soc. No. 40. 10 He did gaily weel, he gat eight points oot o' a possible ten, an' he was gaily pleased.
1984 Jrnl. Lakeland Dial. Soc. No. 46. 6 If ya waant yew ya'd better leuk gayley sharp er th'll be nin left.
Compounds
Modifying a participial adjective (frequently hyphenated), as gaily dressed, gaily flowered, adjs.; gaily throbbing, gaily warbling adjs., etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > showily or fancily dressed
gaya1387
fresha1393
jollyc1405
lustyc1412
prankedc1550
well-attireda1569
prank1575
conceited1579
dressed1641
gaily dressed1730
bedressed1863
tricked1869
done-up1911
dolled1917
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > [adjective] > ornamented with flowers
flowereda1375
enflowered1523
gaily flowered1730
petalled1793
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 127 A gayly checker'd, wide-extended view.
1735 W. Somervile Chace iv. 462 Bid the loud Horns, in gayly-warbling Strains, Proclaim the Felon's Fate.
1810 J. Conder et al. Associate Minstrels 23 Tell me what gaily-throbbing heart..Ere Summer gild another sky, Beneath the valley's clods shall lie?
1820 J. A. Heraud Legend St. Loy iii. ii. 98 Like the young rainbow, first arrayed, With hues of promise gaily-flowered.
1831 E. A. Poe Doomed City in Poems (ed. 2) 50 Not the gaily-jewell'd dead Tempt the waters from their bed.
1844 G. Lippard Ladye Annabel i. vii. 26 The light of many torches streamed through the opened door into the cell, and the gaily-bedizened form of the Duke was discovered.
1882 A. C. Dayton Last Days Knickerbocker Life in N.Y. 251 A gaily-flowered silk waistcoat with ample shirt collar of spotless white about completed his gala attire.
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 149 The rippling, gaily-breaking billow.
1897 Daily News 17 June 6/4 The gaily-bedizened arm of the breakwater showed the scene of the ceremony.
1925 Times 27 Apr. 14/5 But for the streaming rain the streets would have presented a gaily chequered appearance.
1944 E. Robacker Pennsylvania Dutch Stuff 71 Competent authorities aver that most, if not all, of these gaily bedizened receptacles came from Europe, Switzerland in particular.
1947 Hispania 30 73 The warm desert sand-tones..made a lovely background for the varnished wooden tables and the comfortable, gaily-flowered Mexican chairs of the dining hall.
1950 Independent (Long Beach, Calif.) 10 Sept. 22 b/5 A gaily jewelled or patterned frame will add dash to an after-five costume.
2001 Los Angeles Times 17 Oct. a1 Something felt discordant about the original design, centered on balloons and gaily flowered skyrockets shooting out of a giant globe.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adv.adj.a1375